Dhaka's quiet holiday streets grow busy after Eid as people return for work

Rain disrupted many outbound Eid journeys, but return trips have been smoother

The flow of people returning to Dhaka has picked up on the last day of the seven-day Eid-ul-Azha holiday, bringing a noticeable increase in traffic across parts of the capital.

Most public transport operating in the city was concentrated around major transport hubs, including bus terminals, launch terminals and railway stations on Sunday.

Visits to Gabtoli, Kallyanpur, Farmgate, Shahbagh, Gulistan, Kamalapur and Mohakhali showed the city's main roads remained largely clear.

However, compared with the previous few days of the holiday, the number of private cars, CNG-run autorickshaws and public buses had increased.

Although vehicles briefly stopped at some major intersections, no significant traffic congestion was seen.

Traffic police officers at many junctions appeared to be having a relatively quiet day.

An operator on the Gabtoli Link service on the Gabtoli-Jatrabari route, known only as Anis, said the number of passengers had risen slightly.

“People are returning. There are a few more passengers [on Sunday] than in the last several days. Because passenger numbers were low, the number of buses on the road was also reduced.”

He expects traffic to return almost to full capacity once offices reopen on Monday.

Among those returning was Arafat Rahman Hira, who arrived in Dhaka from Rajshahi with his wife and children at noon.

After getting off a bus in Kallyanpur, he appeared to be searching for a CNG-run autorickshaw to travel to Azimpur.

“The holiday is over and offices resume [on Monday]. I returned to Dhaka expecting the rush to be heavier in the afternoon and at night, so I booked an advance ticket.”

While rain complicated travel for many people leaving Dhaka before Eid, return journeys have been largely free of such disruptions. Instead, many travellers complained about the intense heat.

Afzal Bari, who returned from Kushtia on an SB Super Deluxe bus, said: “I couldn't get a ticket for an air-conditioned bus, so I had to travel on a non-AC coach. There were no major problems on the road, but the daytime heat made the journey uncomfortable.”

The government holiday for Eid ran from May 25 to May 31.